Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

"e;Romeo and Juliet are in love, but they are not love-sick. Everything speaks the very soul of pleasure, the high and healthy pulse of the passions: the heart beats...."e;-CHARACTERS OF SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS, by William Hazlitt, 1817 THE TRAGEDY OF ROMEO AND JULIET is sometimes spoken of as the most popular romantic love story of all time. The story's appeal may be the innocent young love shared by the title characters; however, the play's impact (as the title suggests) is in its tragedy. Shakespeare's theme is not love but the dangers inherent in unresolved conflicts-in this case, the lingering feud between the lovers' families.